Our favourite Book to Screen adaptations
By Crediton Community Bookshop
By Crediton Community Bookshop
Not all books translate well to the screen, but sometimes you can find a real winner. Here's some of our favourite books that have been adapted brilliantly...
How I Live Now
Meg Rosoff
£7.99 £7.43It's unusual for a YA novel to be adapted in a way that doesn't tone it down to 12A, which is perhaps why this brilliant film struggled to find its audience. Meg Rosoff is a massively under-read author, and despite it changing aspects of the story, the film captures the essence of this uncomfortable and evocative book.
The Lord of the Rings
J R R Tolkien
£22.00 £20.46Although looked down on by some, these films brought Tolkein to a whole new audience and were obviously made by people who really loved the books.
Persepolis I & II
Marjane Satrapi
£9.99 £9.29The animation style of the film really complements the illustration of the graphic novels, without taking away any of the depth and complexity of the story.
Scott Pilgrim Color Collection Vol. 1: Soft Cover Edition
Bryan Lee O'Malley
£26.99 £25.10Edgar Wright totally got the tone of these graphic novels, which turn the pretty average life of a bit of a loser into an epic comic book style fight.
Howl's Moving Castle
Diana Wynne Jones
£6.99 £6.50Studio Ghibli's beautiful take on Diana Wynne Jones's children's novel is as successful as it is unlikely.
Watership Down: Classic Gift Edition with Ribbon Marker
Richard Adams
£15.99 £14.87Both classic; both timeless.
A Christmas Carol and Other Christmas Writings
Charles Dickens
£6.99 £6.50Obviously we're referring to the definitive film version - the Muppet's Christmas Carol. Hilarious at the same time as being a remarkably faithful adaptation.
Into the Wild
Jon Krakauer
£9.99 £9.29We've included this one because the film makers' editorial decisions make for interesting discussion, and reignited a continuing and fierce debate about whether Chris McCandless was a visionary or an imbecile.
Anna Karenina
Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy
£16.98There's no way to adapt this massive novel without making some pretty hefty cuts, but the stylisation of Joe Wright's 2012 version captures the atmosphere of opulence and despair.
The Gormenghast Trilogy
Mervyn Peake
£19.98 £18.58The BBC's Gormenghast adaptation really captures Peake's vision of a world simultaneously repugnant and appealing. Just like Fuscia - with how small a twist may it not suddenly have become beautiful.
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell
Susanna Clarke
£10.99 £10.22Necessarily abridged, but totally in keeping with the spirit and atmosphere of the books.
Think we've missed something? E-mail me! [email protected]